


A Second Chance

by samurai_girl93



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Drama & Romance, Engineering, F/M, Football, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:08:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25135168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samurai_girl93/pseuds/samurai_girl93
Summary: Erza Scarlet. Lead Engineer at the National Council's Department of Engineering was just as beautiful as she was intelligent. Her coworkers all described her as a perfectionist, but when her hidden past life collides with her present, they'll learn that Erza isn't as perfect as she may seem. AU Erza x Jellal fanfic.
Relationships: Cana Alberona/Laxus Dreyar, Erza Scarlet/Simon, Freed Justine/Mirajane Strauss, Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first publication on this forum. I am currently also publishing chapters on this story on Fanfiction.net.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy! Reviews are always welcome.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters.

**Present Day:**

**Crocus - May 15 th, X793**

There was nothing on Earthland that she hated more than an eight-a.m. meeting with a non-compliant contractor.

Erza Scarlet sat at the head of the conference room table with her arms folded tightly and her eyes shut, while the contractor’s representatives shouted insults across the table at the Council’s engineering team.

“Breathe Erza. Just breathe,” she muttered to herself. The red-headed engineer was not known for her patience and it was too early in the morning to have this argument. She worked on reviewing the final construction drawings until the wee hours of the morning and only running on two hours of sleep before rushing to work.

She didn’t even get time to get a cup of coffee before being ushered into the conference room by her boss and lead engineer, Lahar. She thought she could have handled it but now she was getting a headache from all the noise.

It was just too early and she had enough.

She slammed her palms on the table and shouted, “Everyone quiet!”

Complete silence descended as the contractor’s representatives looked at her in astonishment while her team gawked at her outburst.

“Ms. Scarlet, may I remind you that we’re in a meeting,” Lahar stated while adjusting his glasses.

Erza sighed. “My apologies, sir, but we’ve been here for almost thirty minutes and we haven’t reach to a consensus about the Fairy Tail Stadium Rehabilitation contract.”

She then directed her words to the contractor. “Gentlemen, we cannot commence work unless we have been given final approval from the team’s manager. Currently, Fairy Tail F.C. is preparing for their final match against Sabertooth, so I am sure that the manager will not allow anything to disrupt his team’s training regimen at this time. It would be better for us to wait until the Premier League season concludes before any work commences on Section D.”

“Therefore, we cannot confirm whether the site can be released to you at this time,” conclude Lahar, which sparked a new round of outbursts.

“Then we’ll have to claim for an Extension of Time, Lahar.”

“Yes, I am aware of that. We will need to discuss this further internally before we make a final decision gentlemen.”

Erza sighed again. This project was driving her up a wall. Fairy Tail F.C. was the top tier team of the Fiore Premier League and after the last major earthquake in Magnolia, the pavilion in Section D was completely destroyed. That was three months ago. Since then the Council’s Engineering Department in Crocus were scrambling to get cracking on this project before the start of the new season. For the past three months, Erza Scarlet, the Lead Project Engineer from the Council, was either busy working on the final designs or working remotely to get approvals to start construction. However, despite her best efforts, the Manager of Fairy Tail refused to cooperate.

As the secretary ushered the disgruntled contractor personnel out of the office, Lahar signalled to Erza to follow him to his office.

“See what’s going on now Scarlet? Any word from Makarov?”

“None,” she replied tiredly. “He still isn’t responding to my calls and his secretary keeps saying that this final match is more important than fixing the pavilion.”

Lahar pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Do these people understand that it’s a hazard to be training in that area?”

“I asked them that as well. Apparently, the local city engineer and safety officers cordoned off the area from the players and spectators. So, their argument is that it’s safe to be used for now.”

Lahar shook his head. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“I agree with you,” Erza nodded. “Shall we send one of the junior engineers to conduct a site visit?”

Lahar raised an eyebrow at her. “Why send a junior when you can conduct it yourself?”

Erza’s eyes shot to his. “Sir I would not be able to do that.”

“Why not?”

“I’m busy doing other things for the project, sir.”

“Scarlet, we cannot continue with this project until we conduct this site visit and have a meeting with Makarov.”

Erza opened her mouth to respond but then closed it. _Darn it_ , she thought, _I have to get myself out of this._

Instead she fidgeted and looked away, mumbling, “I still have a lot of work to do here on other projects.”

Lahar rolled his eyes. “That’s a poor excuse and you know that. You are the Project Lead so you will be visiting Magnolia as soon as possible.”

“But sir…..,” she started but he cut her off.

“Is there some reason why you cannot visit Magnolia, Erza? He asked as he narrowed her eyes on her fidgeting form. Erza rarely looked uncomfortable speaking to him so he knew something was up.

When she didn’t respond, he said “I understand that Magnolia is your hometown. Whatever issues you have in that town is of no concern to me. You’re here to do your job and your job is to conduct the site visit and report back to us on the situation so we can finalise the start date of construction. Am I making myself clear?”

Erza closed her eyes and took a deep breath before answering. “Understood sir.”

“Good. You leave on Friday. Wrap up things here and go speak to the secretary to arrange you train ticket and accommodations in Magnolia.”

Lahar then turned his back on her, which signalled the end of their discussion.

* * *

One of the things that Erza took pride in was her ability to keep her emotions in check, but today, she conceded, was an epic failure.

The first thing she did when she returned to her studio apartment that evening was to run a warm bath to ease her aching muscles from a lack of sleep.

She closed her eyes and sank deeper into the tub.

It has been five years since she ever set foot in Magnolia. The humiliation she experienced there was enough to send her packing. Since retreating to Crocus, Erza had cut ties from everyone she knew there, including her family.

She glanced at the clock over her bathroom door. It was only nine pm and she was dead tired. She eased herself out of the bathtub and dragged her tired limbs into her bedroom while she dried her scarlet locks. Her eyes lifted to stare at the shoebox that was resting on the top shelf of her open cupboard. Usually that shoebox was hidden from plain sight, but after today’s meeting with Lahar she had taken it out for the first time in five years.

She emptied the contents onto her bed, examining each artefact in turn before returning them to the box. It was a mix of oddities; the baby shoes that she was wearing the night her biological mother abandoned her at the orphanage where she grew up, academic and team medals she won while in high school, her team shirt when she played for Fairy Tail F.C. U21 Women’s Team, numerous photos………..

……….. and a black, velvet ring box holding her engagement and wedding rings.

Her fingertips brushed the soft velvet before returning it to the shoe box without opening it, instead turning her attention to the myriad of photos that were now the only items still piled on her bed.

_What am I doing?_ She thought in exasperation as she grabbed a handful of photos and dropped them back into the box without looking at them. _It’s over, Erza. Pull yourself together! There’s no use harping over this anymore. What’s done is done!_

She returned the box to its hiding place and returned bed only to realise that she had forgotten one photo.

When she looked at it, she gave wry smile. “The Fates are playing games with me today. It just had to be this one, huh?” she said.

It was a photo of her. She was six years younger, wearing a long sleeved, white lace dress, with a long, cathedral length veil. A bouquet of pink and white roses was clutched in her left hand while her right was clinging to the arm of tall man with chestnut brown hair, wearing white gloves and a crisp black tuxedo. They were smiling and cringing slightly as her Fairy Tail team mates unleased a barrage of confetti and rice on their heads as they exited Kardia Cathedral. On the back of the photo, was the inscription –

_Mr. and Mrs Simon Mikazuchi_

_Kardia Cathedral_

_May 15 th, X788_

It was a beautiful day and at that time she considered it the happiest day of her life.

Looking back at it now, she realised that it was really the calm before the storm.

* * *

**_Magnolia Town – May 28 th, X785_ **

_It was too late before she realised that she didn’t close her blinds. It was eight am and the sunlight was already streaming through the open windows of her apartment and hitting her directly in the face. Suffice to say, Erza was not a morning person, especially since she had just completed her last exam for the semester and after pulling several all-nighters to cram a semester’s worth of knowledge on soil mechanics, hydraulics and moment equilibrium into her brain, all she wanted was a long, uninterrupted, sleep._

_Maybe for the next three months._

_She flew out of her bed and closed the blinds hastily before retreating once again under her quilt hoping for sleep to take over._

_And she almost succeeded too but was reawakened by the sound of her bedroom door opening with a loud bang._

_“Erza! Let’s go!”_

_She knew that voice. It was the voice of an annoying, pink haired guy who was clearly asking for beating of his life._

_“Shhhhh! Natsu not so loud!”_

_“Yeah, idiot. Do you want to wake the demon up?”_

_A vein popped in her forehead. “Too late for that,” she growled while still hiding under the covers._

_Gray Fullbuster slapped Natsu Dragneel behind his head. “Now you’ve done it, you clown.”_

_Natsu grabbed Gray by his collar and shook him. “Wanna try that again, you cold bastard?”_

_“Guys knock it off! It’s too early for this,” screeched Lucy and everyone froze as Erza sat up in her bed._

_Everyone gulped. If Erza was in a bad mood, they’ll all get their asses handed to them. So, they switched to the defensive._

_“Sorry we woke you Erza, but we got some news from Makarov,” Gray said sheepishly._

_Erza narrowed her eyes on him causing him to fidget nervously. “And that couldn’t wait until later?”_

_“Oh come on Erza! Everyone knows that your last exam was yesterday and we needed to catch you before you went into hibernation,” said Natsu._

_“Besides,” Lucy started as she moved forward to sit on the edge of the bed facing her, “You’re gonna be interested in this.”_

_“Fairy Tail just signed Jellal Fernandes and they’re having a welcome party in the club house later.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Present Day:**

**Crocus - May 19 th , X793**

The sun rose slowly over the mountain range spilling the soft rays of sunlight onto the rolling plains outside of Crocus. Erza glanced at her watch before turning her attention back to the scenery they were passing through. It was only 7 a.m. and, judging by the tracker on the screen in front of her, she was already ten kilometers away from the city’s borders. Ignoring the request from Lahar to allow the secretary to arrange her train ride to Magnolia, Erza opted to book the first train out of Crocus that Friday morning. Usually, there was a 6-hour straight trip to Magnolia Station, however she decided to take a small detour to a village off route.

“Would you like something to drink Miss?”

Erza looked up only to find a trolley fully stocked with refreshments for the passengers. She was so preoccupied in thought that she didn’t even hear the waitress arrive.

“I’d like a coffee please.”

The young woman handed her a styrofoam cup of black coffee before continuing down the aisle of the train. Erza inhaled the strong fumes before taking a sip. She exhaled contently. She was never a morning person and since her days as an undergrad engineering student at Magnolia Technology Institute, she had grown accustomed to drinking black coffee first thing in the morning. Memories of her days back the university and her friends breaking into her apartment to wake her up at the crack of dawn flooded her mind and she chuckled fondly before taking another sip.

If it was one thing Erza enjoyed was her time at university. Yes, her degree in Civil Engineering was taxing, but she made the best friends there; friendships that would have lasted a lifetime if she hadn’t cut them all off when she moved the Crocus.

The sunlight continued to spread over the landscape as the train continued towards her destination. Only twelve kilometers remained before she reached her first stop before continuing to the Magnolia.

 _Perfect,_ she thought. _I’ll arrive at 8:15 and there’ll be enough time to kill before the next train to Magnolia leaves at 1:30._

Erza continued to sip her coffee absentmindedly while getting lost in the scenery they were passing through. The train had now exited the lush green outskirts of Crocus and was now entering a more rural area known for its arable farming and simple country living.

At exactly 8:15, the train came to a complete halt at the station to allow the passengers to exit. Erza grabbed her suitcase and carry on and followed the exiting passengers onto the platform. As soon as she stepped on the platform, she inhaled the fresh sent of the herb, which gave the small town its name.

“Welcome to Rosemary Village! Hope you have a great stay!”

* * *

She left her suitcases at the terminal, printed her ticket for the 1:30 train to Magnolia and purchased a bunch of white carnations from the flower stall outside of the terminal, before hiking down the long dusty road through the busiest area of the village. More than ten years had passed since she left here to live in Magnolia, but the village remained almost the same; underdeveloped roads, shady trees and buildings that were crumbling away with age.

Her earliest memories involved her running barefoot in the streets of Rosemary Village with the boys at the orphanage, which was run by the small Catholic church at the center of the village. She was told by the nuns who raised her that she was only one week old when she was left on the steps of the church. She was well taken care of by the nuns and parishioners, and she was happy. Or at least she thought so at first. As she grew, she began to compare herself to the other children in the village and it was then she realized that what she lacked was having a family to go home to.

As she entered elementary school, she became more depressed when she saw the mothers and fathers dropping their children off. As a result, and to the dismay of the nuns in the parish, she secluded herself from the other children in orphanage and at school, quickly losing interest in the things that she previously enjoyed. Until one day, she met him.

There was news the night before her sixth birthday that a single father, who was stricken with lung cancer has finally succumbed to the disease after suffering for two years. Before he passed away, he asked a distant relative who lived on the eastern coast of Fiore to take his two children. However, the relative only agreed to take his daughter, who was a few months shy of three, leaving his son in the care of the nuns at the village’s orphanage.

His name was Simon Mikazuchi. He was taller than Erza by an inch and tan from helping his ailing father in the fields behind their home with a mop of unruly brown hair. And he was insolent. At first, when he was brought the orphanage that night, he bawled his lungs out and he did so for the few days after his father’s funeral. But on the tenth day of his stay at the orphanage, his attitude changed. He screamed at the nuns, refused to eat or interact with the other children. The nuns, however, were patient with him. They knew that he was only going through the stages of grief from losing his father and craving his baby sister who, to him, had suddenly gone missing and he felt the anguish that he would never see her again.

Erza felt sorry for him. She would never understand what it’s like to be loved by parents firsthand, but from her observations of families around her, she was empathetic to his sorrow. Having an absent family from day one was a completely different melancholy than losing the only family you have in a split second when you’re old enough to comprehend loss. So, she decided to befriend him.

She honestly thought that it would be hard to make him her friend, seeing as how recluse he was to the other children and how he lashed back at the nuns. Yet, she still tried.

_He was sitting by the swings watching the other children play catch in the backyard of the orphanage, dragging his foot in the sand as the swing swayed slightly._

_Erza took a deep breath and walked up to him bravely. She stopped directly in front of him and thrust her right hand out to his face._

_“Hello, my name is Erza Scarlet and I want to be your friend.”_

_Simon raised his eyes slowly, first looking at her dirty fingers that were an inch away from his nose, then raising his head higher to study her face. His expression was blank as his eyes travelled from her face to her red hair._

_“Your hair,” he said softly. “Can I touch it?”_

_Erza raised an eyebrow while retracting her hand. “My hair?”_

_He turned his face away blushing. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”_

_Erza’s incredulous look dropped to a soft scowl. “Well I guess you can touch it. Just this once though!”_

_Simon reached up and gently ran his fingertips through the length of her soft hair._

_“My name is Simon Mikazuchi. Thank you for wanting to be my friend, beautiful Erza.”_

Erza smiled at the memory as she made her way towards the same old church and orphanage that they grew up in. Simon became her best friend that day. They did almost everything together. It was during their shared childhood that they both learned how to play soccer and she discovered the wonders of building things while he expressed his interest in becoming a police officer like his dad was before he was forced to resign as a result of his terminal illness.

On the eastern side of the church was an unkempt graveyard. The nuns who operated the church had been long gone to another parish, and while the parishioners tried their best to upkeep the cemetery, it was just too much for them to do with the limited funds they were left with by the Archdiocese.

She clutched the bouquet in her hand tightly as she pushed through the broken fence and walked solemnly to her destination. Unlike the rest of the graves, the one she sort was well maintained. Someone had recently removed the overgrown grass and polished the marble headstone.

Erza crouched down and gently touched the mound. All the sadness and guilt she suppressed over the years finally came out in silent tears. Years later, when they were both moved to the Tower of Heaven orphanage in Magnolia and they grew from their teenage years to adults, he had shown her love for the first time in her life. A love that was soft and warm. A love that she didn’t realize was missing from her life until it happened.

She rose to her feet, her eyes red, and walked towards the headstone to place the flowers while brushing her hand across the inscription.

He gave her a love that she didn’t deserve, and she believed that the guilt she felt after that day was the karma that the universe had dealt for her ungratefulness for destroying a love so pure.

_Simon Mikazuchi_

_X765 – X788_

_A loving husband, son and brother_

_May he Rest in Peace_

“I’m sorry that I took so long to visit you,” she whispered at the headstone.

“I’m so sorry, Simon……..”

* * *

**_Magnolia Town - May 28th, X785_ **

_The welcome party was in full swing when they arrived at the club house. The music bleared from loudspeakers set up all around the lounge area. Clearly Laxus’ doing, Erza thought rolling her eyes._

_Lucy Heartfilia cupped her mouth as she shouted at her, “What the hell is wrong with Laxus? Does he have to go overboard every single time there’s a party?”_

_Erza laughed and shrugged. “That’s Laxus for you,” she shouted back. She got accustomed to his shenanigans after she moved in with the Dreyars’ when she was fifteen. And speaking of the devil. A large hand patted the top of her head as though she was a child before the attached muscled forearm came to rest on her head._

_“Laxus, are you trying to make all of us deaf?” She asked while trying to swot his hands away from her hair. Even though she was taller than the average female, Laxus’ 6’3” frame towered over her and, much to her annoyance, the blond-haired attacking midfielder loved to take advantage of the height difference. And today was no different._

_“Titania Erza,” he drawled in greeting. “Thought Natsu and Gray would’ve had to drag your ass over here. The old geezer will be over the moon when he sees you.”_

_“Yeah right. He’s probably more occupied with the new recruit. Where is Makarov anyway?”_

_Laxus placed both hands on her shoulders and pushed her through the crowd towards the open bar where his grandfather was animatedly chatting with Gildarts Clive, the head coach of the team._

_“Yo gramps! Look who I found dawdling at the entrance,” he said, shoving her into the seat opposite the two men._

_“Whatcha drinkin’ Titania?” asked an already half-drunk Gildarts Clive._

_Erza cringed as she examined his mug. His daughter and her fellow teammate, Cana Alberona, was the same way. They were both notorious for their ability of drinking everyone in the club under the table._

_“Sorry coach. No Jägermeister and bourbon for me tonight.”_

_Gildarts shrugged, “If you say so,” and then took another swig._

_The waitress, Kinana, walked up to their table and placed a strawberry daiquiri in front of her. Erza smiled grateful before taking a sip. She took her time to savour the taste of the fresh strawberries and rum. She usually abstained from alcohol for the month leading up to exams, so taste of the alcohol made it even sweeter._

_Gildarts laughed at the expression on her face. “You women and your girly drinks!”_

_Erza shook her head in amusement before turning to the team manager and adoptive father. “Master Makarov, Grey and Natsu told me that you convinced him to sign with Fairy Tail. How did you manage?”_

_Makarov shook his head. “Crime Socière only agreed to loan him to us for one year, unfortunately. He’s just too good of a right winger for them to agree to sell him.”_

_“Makes sense when you look at the kid’s stats since he started playing in the Premiership three years ago,” Gildarts added._

_Erza said nothing, opting to continue to drink her cocktail, while Gildarts eyed her curiously._

_“You know I’m surprised you didn’t go looking for him as soon as you came, Erza,” he said. “Weren’t you guys attached to hip or something?”_

_Erza face became as red as her hair. “What are you talking about? Attached to the hip? Preposterous,” she spluttered._

_“Preposterous she says!” laughed Gildarts. “Everyone knew you guys at a thing for each other. It’s useless trying to hide it.”_

_Erza scowled. She couldn’t believe that they made it that obvious. She would admit that she had a crush on him ever since she started living in Magnolia, but Erza was usually good at keeping a pokerface when it comes to emotions._

_When she turned twelve, the orphanage was low on funding and they decided to send the children to other orphanages that were available. Both she and Simon were sent to the Tower of Heaven. It was a state-run orphanage in Magnolia city and while the living conditions was albeit better than that of the previous orphanage in Rosemary Village, the atmosphere here was much colder and the caretakers really didn’t care for them. Once they were given three square meals a day, that was all they were concerned about. As such, Erza and Simon forged a strong comradery with other children there. They looked out for one another when the adults refused to do so. Together they formed their own little family._

_Even when Simon’s relatives had finally sent for him when they were fourteen and she was adopted by the Dreyar family soon after, she still had close friends to keep her going. Milliana, Sho, Wally and him._

_Jellal Fernandes._

_Despite his cold and calculating exterior, Jellal was compassionate to everyone around him. Deep down he was a gentle soul and his intelligence and strong convictions made him a natural born leader. He excelled in every area when they were in high school and she wasn’t even surprised when Crime Socière scouted him in his last match before they graduated. That’s what drew her attention._

_That and his looks._

_It only took a minute after their first interaction when she came to the Tower of Heaven, to realize that she was attracted to him and as the years went by, those feelings just became stronger. Even though he was away for three years and they mostly communicated electronically, her feelings for him never diminished._

_He was a hard person to read when it came to emotions though. So even though she loved him, she never mustered the courage to tell him how she really felt. Rejection was something that she wasn’t emotionally equipped to handle, so she would just have to settle for being best friends._

_At least for now._

_She finished her drink quickly and excused herself from Makarov and Gildarts before pushing through the crowd to look for him. She passed Gray, Natsu and Elfman Strauss, who were all members of the Premiership team with Laxus and now Jellal, while they were having a heated discussion about the formations for the next season. The girls on her U21 women’s team were either chatting away over cocktails or dancing. She waved back at Cana and Lucy signaling that she’ll be back in a few before walking out to the balcony._

_He looked as though he was lost in thought. From behind he looked as though he was staring out at the city lights before them, his forearms resting on the wrought iron railing that was recently fixed by Fairy Tail’s star defender, Gajeel Redfox. She walked slowly to his right while continuing to observe him. His eyes were closed and the light breeze lifted his bangs slightly off his forehead. Since the last time she saw him, he allowed his blue hair to grow out by almost two inches giving him a slight shaggy look and the extra training he did allowed him to put on more muscle mass._

_Needless to say, he looked great and with that thought Erza blushed._

_“Erza?” he called out softly still keeping his eyes closed._

_“Hey,” she responded, her voice slightly shaking. What the hell is wrong with me? She thought incredulously. She cleared her throat and tried again. “How have you been, Jellal?”_

_He straightened up and turned to face her and gave her that half-smile that never failed to set her heart racing. “Glad for the change of scenary,” he laughed and Erza laughed along with him._

_“How is school? Today was your final exam for the academic year right?”_

_She nodded, “Yes. Now I’m free for the entire summer to train. Although I may consider working as an engineering intern in the Magnolia City Engineering Department.”_

_He nodded in acknowledgement and a comfortable silence fell on them._

_“Nothing much has changed since you left,” she said._

_“At least the things that mattered didn’t change,” he responded while his eyes traced the features of her face._

_Erza flushed again and looked away. Jellal gently reached for her chin and turned her face back to face him._

_His hand reached towards her scarlet bangs and he tugged gently on it. In the past, the only person who was allowed to touch her hair was Simon, but that was only when he asked permission to do so. But not with Jellal. He was the first person to run his fingers through her hair without asking. It was one of the few physically intimate moments that her adolescent and now adult heart always seek from him._

_“I missed you a lot, Erza,” he whispered as he moved closer to her. “You and your beautiful hair,” he finished as he pressed his lips to her forehead while her eyes fluttered to a close._


	3. Chapter 3

**Present Day:**

**Rosemary Village - May 19 th, X793**

Erza dusted off the invisible specs of dirt on the headstone before standing up and wiped her red rimmed eyes. She had paid her respects and it was time for her to leave. She turned around only to see and elderly woman hobbling towards her with her walking stick while fixing the top of her black veil.

“Well hello there girlie. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Sister Maria!” Erza was shocked to see her here. Sister Maria was one of the nuns who took care of them in the orphanage here in Rosemary Village.

The elderly nun walked up to her and grasped her hand tightly. “It does my heart good to see you well my child.”

Erza smiled and gently squeezed her hands. “I thought all of you were relocated by the Archdiocese?”

“We are, but ever so often I like to visit and pay my respects,” she responded gesturing to the graves. Her aged eyes swept the area before settling on Simon’s grave. “I see you came to see your husband?”

Erza sighed and nodded. “The last time I saw you here was for his burial, wasn’t it?” the Sister asked, to which Erza nodded again. Sister Maria patted her hand. “You shouldn’t take to too long to pay your respects, my child. Having unfinished business with the dead can prevent you from moving on.”

Fresh tears sprung to Erza’s eyes as she looked at Simon’s name engraved in the marble. “This was my fault.”

“It was an accident, Erza.”

“He was so angry before he left. If only I had stopped him…..”

Sister Maria tugged at her hands. “You need to stop this Erza. You need to let it go now.”

Erza bent her head, “I can’t. I have to atone for what I did to him.” Her thoughts brought her back to the day of his funeral.

_It was raining nonstop as though the heavens were morning his death along with them. Natsu was holding a large umbrella over their heads, while Lucy gently guided her towards the open excavation; Simon’s final resting place. Everyone was sobbing around her. Wally and Sho, who were two of the pall bearers had relinquished their hold on his coffin next the excavation while they sobbed. Milliana, who was like a sister to him, stared at the coffin while tears streamed down her face, but she tried to hold it in as much as possible for the young woman she was supporting; Simon’s younger sister._

_Kagura._

_Erza couldn’t bear to look at her sister in law as she screamed in agony. Milliana was a head shorter than the twenty-year-old woman and was having a hard time keeping Kagura upright while she cried, leaning on the closed coffin as if to hug her older brother one last time. Kagura’s friends from the all-girls university she attended back east, all attended the funeral and it took the strength of all four of them combine to bodily lift Kagura’s weeping form of the coffin and set her gently in a chair nearby while trying their best to soothe her._

_“Shhh, it’s ok Kagura.”_

_“Everything’s going to ok, hun.”_

_“Someone get her some water before she collapses!”_

_Her Latina friend, Araña Web, quickly poured a cup of water for her and guided the cup to her mouth for her to sip. Kagura’s wails ceased but the tears continued to flow as she watched pitifully while the priest performed the last rites and sprinkled holy water onto the coffin before they adjusted the pulleys to start lowering the coffin into the grave._

_Natsu noticed that Erza was still holding the roses that were meant to be placed on the coffin. He looked at his red-headed friend’s face and was saddened by the look of despair. Never in his life would he have thought that anyone would have seen Erza in this way._

_He gently nudged Lucy to get her attention. “Hey Luce, give Erza a hand to go to the coffin before they move him.”_

_Lucy nodded and Erza felt her hand behind the small of her back gently guiding her closer to the coffin to say her last goodbye. The priest acknowledged her as she approached._

_“Mrs. Mikazuchi, please say your final goodbyes before your husband is lowered into the grave.” He then pointed to the loose earth that was excavated for her to take the first handful to throw into the grave as his widow. She laid the roses on the coffin and placed her hand on it. Due to the extensive damage to his body, the coffin had remained closed. Erza wished she could have seen his face one last time, however she had to settle with the last moments she had with him; screaming at each other and his face contorted with rage before he stormed out of their two-bedroom apartment._

_Kagura stopped sobbing when she saw her sister in law and immediately flew into a rage. In a matter of seconds, she sprung from her seat and tried to lunge at Erza but was held back by Milliana and Risley._

_“Stop it Kagura!” shouted Risley._

_“You!” she screamed at Erza. “How dare you come here after what you’ve done?”_

_Erza stopped dead in her tracks and started at the young woman, who looked as though she would have done anything to break her face._

_“I hate you, Erza!” she screeched. “I hate you! You should have never married my brother!”_

_“You killed him!”_

The nun’s grip on her hand tightened breaking Erza out of the memory.

“The Lord knows your heart and just as he answered Peter, he will forgive you seventy times seven, my child. It’s time you started forgiving yourself.”

Erza wiped her eyes and exhaled. It was easier said than done.

The nun lead Erza out of the cemetery still holding her hand. “I must say Erza, that despite everything, I am glad to see that you are doing well.”

Erza smiled. “Thank you, Sister Maria. Without you and the other nuns, none of us would have survived back then.

The continued walking until they reached in the main road which lead to the terminal.

“Well this is where I leave you my dear. God’s speed and safe travels to Magnolia.”

“Thank you, Sister. It was great seeing you again and thank you for maintaining Simon’s grave.”

The nun waved her off. “No, no, my dear. That’s not me. Someone else maintains the grave every few months.

Erza nodded. “Well it must be Kagura then,” she said but nun shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. Kagura only comes once a year on the anniversary of his death to visit the grave. The person I saw was a man.”

Erza shrugged it off. “Simon had many friends, so it was probably one of them.”

The nun nodded and turned to walk away. “Probably one his friends then. He looked familiar to me, but I can’t remember where I saw him. Oh well. Whoever he is, we should be grateful to him and I will say a special prayer giving thanks for his kindness.”

* * *

**Present Day:**

**Magnolia Town - May 19 th, X793**

It was almost five pm when she finally arrived in Magnolia. The train ride would have taken a shorter period, but it had to make stops at both Oshibana and Onibus, so by the time Erza exited the terminal the peak hour traffic had already died down. She stood at the exit with her luggage looking around for a taxi that would take her to her apartment.

Just then she heard the blearing sound of heavy metal coming from a black sports car. Everyone stopped and stared as the car smoothly came to a halt in from of her and the tinted window on the passenger side rolled down to reveal its driver.

Erza rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Why are you here? I didn’t ask for you to pick me up.”

The driver smirked and exited the car, with his blond hair slightly askew. As he walked around the vehicle towards her, a small crowd gathered to look at him in awe. She couldn’t blame them though. This was one of the few times anyone actually saw Laxus Dreyar, captain of Fairy Tail F.C. outside of the stadium. As for Erza, her adoptive brother was the same as she left him five years ago. Tall, muscular and still as arrogant as ever.

He reached for her suitcases but Erza rolled them away from him while she looked at him stonily. “Now, now, Titania. No need for you to be like that. I’m trying to be nice,” he drawled.

Erza huffed and folded her arms. “For once in your life,” she muttered in annoyance.

Clearly, the exchange was heard by the people in the near vicinity.

“Did he just say Titania?”

“As in Titania, Queen of the Fairies? Captain of the women’s team?”

“I wonder what happened to her. She just disappeared a few years ago.”

“Didn’t you hear? She left after her husband d….”

“Would you guys shut the hell up!” Laxus growled at the crowd, cutting their conversation. “There’s nothing to see here. Get lost!” and with that everyone scattered, while Erza was still starting him down.

“Give me your suitcases and get in the car before the old geezer orders me to run twenty laps before practice tomorrow. And stop looking at me like that. I get enough of that from Evergreen as is.”

Erza relinquished her hold on her luggage. “How did you know that I was going to be here?”

“Gramps got a call from your office telling him what time you’ll be here,” he answered as he stacked the suitcases in the back. “Looks like we got the time wrong though. I’ve been waiting for hours for you.”

Erza didn’t respond. It was no use arguing with Laxus. She was tired and she need a warm bath. The faster she got to her hotel room the better, so she got into the car with no complaints.

Laxus was unusually quiet for the entire ride. He wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but she knew he could be nosy when he felt like it. She was half expecting him to hit her with a barrage of questions as soon as she sat in the car, but he didn’t, and she appreciated that.

“So where to?” he asked as he concentrated on the road in front of him.

“The Magnolia Inn.”

“You know you could have just come home, right?”

Erza didn’t respond. If she went back home, word would get around that she was in town and then everyone would start looking for her. And that’s exactly what she didn’t want.

“How long will you be here for?” he asked.

She decided that it was ok to respond that question. “Only a week. I have a few meetings with Makarov, the city’s engineering department and conduct a site visit of the stadium and then I’ll be back in Crocus.”

Laxus didn’t respond to that and for the rest of the car ride he remained silent.

He pulled up to the front entrance of the bed and breakfast, which was located a short distance away from the clubhouse. Erza immediately removed her seatbelt and started to open the car door when he spoke.

“He came back you know.”

Erza froze. She didn’t need Laxus to tell her who _he_ was. As far as she was concerned, getting involved with him was bad news and she didn’t want him to screw up her life more than it already was.

“Help me with my luggage,” she said as she got out of the car, her face like a stone as she tried to keep her emotions in check.

Jellal Fernandes was back and she had no intention of ever speaking to him again.

* * *

**_Magnolia Town – June 20 th, X785_ **

_Gildarts Clive was a slave driver. Erza didn’t know whose bright idea it was for him to coach the women’s team also, but that person clearly had a death wish. Usually the women’s U21 team trained during the morning sessions starting from 9 am, but the slave driver decided that he wanted them out on the field running laps from 5 am starting this week. She and her teammates had to endure this torture for the entire week so far._

_When Gildarts blew his whistle, they stopped for their ten-minute break. “Take a break ladies and catch your breath! If you enjoyed our first session, wait till you see what I have planned for you guys next!”_

_Everyone groaned. Erza walked over to her bag on side lines to get her water bottle and glanced at her watch. It was already 8 am. They had finished their morning run and mandatory exercises and now all they had to do was to practice their attacking formations and then they’ll be done for the day. Erza took a long drink from her water bottle and then splashed some on her face. It was summer so the temperature in Magnolia had already risen about 30 ºC, and with the high humidity, their energy levels were lower than usual._

_The other girls clearly felt the same way since they all followed Erza to makeshift stand and dropped to the ground panting._

_“Water! I need Water,” moaned Cana Alberona, the daughter of the head coach and the center forward of the team._

_Bisca Mulan threw a bottle at her and collapsed on the ground also. “What is wrong with Gildarts? Doesn’t he know that we’re supposed to be using the normal off-season training regimen?”_

_Cana spat on the ground. “Gildarts has finally lost his mind. I’m going to kill him!” she growled._

_“Calm down, Cana. I doubt you’ll be able to do that.”_

_The girls stopped and turned around only to see, Gray Fullbuster coming towards them with his cleats hanging over his shoulder and Natsu Dragneel in tow._

_“Hiya Erza!” greeted Natsu._

_“Natsu? Gray? What are you doing here? You guys should be practicing this afternoon,” said Erza._

_Gray rolled his eyes at her. “Hey Gray! Nice to see you buddy! Would it kill you to tell a guy hi?”_

_“It wouldn’t for me, but someone else might get a heart attack trying to talk to you instead,” Erza laughed and subtly gestured in the direction of her other teammate, Juvia Lockser, who decided to hide behind Gajeel Redfox. She blushed and peered over the defender’s shoulder, much to his annoyance._

_“Yo stripper!” he shouted from his location almost halfway across the field. “Come and get your girlfriend so I can go and change.” Gray facepalmed while Juvia hit Gajeel across the back of his head in response._

_Cana sat up to observe the men’s team invading the field. “Gildarts!” she screamed. “What the hell is this? Why are these numbskulls here?”_

_That got the guys’ attention._

_“Numbskulls she calls us,” drawled Laxus, as he walked up to them, already wearing his cleats but was shirtless; his jersey handing over one shoulder. “Said the walking distillery. You should be thankful that Gildarts makes you train so early to prevent you from getting severe liver damage before you hit thirty.”_

_“You should keep your respect, Cana,” added Freed Justine, as he sat next to Laxus to retie his right cleat. “You may be the coach’s daughter, but we’ve won more matches than you have.”_

_The girls bristled at the insult._

_“Excuse me? Big talk from a striker who hasn’t even scored for the last season,” retorted Evergreen as she tied up her hair._

_Freed flushed in anger. Natsu, Gray and Bickslow, another teammate and friend of theirs snickered while Laxus responded, “That was a low blow, Ever.”_

_“Yea well he started it. Don’t talk about us when you guys aren’t even near perfect!”_

_“And this is why I called you all together.”_

_Everyone straightened up. Gildarts had entered the fray. He changed his jersey after sweating straight through it and walked up to the both teams._

_“I called all of you on this beautiful Saturday morning to discuss the new training regimen that I have planned for you all during the break. As you all would have realised, I’ve changed some of the methods that I’ve used to train both teams and that is mainly because of your performances in the last season. I’ve been monitoring everyone’s progress over the last year and while both teams have managed to finish at the top of the table, all of you are, as Evergreen just nicely put it, less than perfect.”_

_Everyone was quiet now. The men’s team got their asses handed to them by Lamia Scale F.C., who finished in fourth place and the women’s team had a hard time with Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus and only narrowly defeating Mermaid’s Heel by one point. Gildarts was right. They all had their work cut out for them._

_“So, I know you kiddies were looking forward to a nice, relaxing summer since some of you are on break from university, but your lacklustre performance cannot be repeated in the coming season. Therefore, I’ve devised a new strategy.” Gildarts smiled at their bewildered expressions. “You will be training together every Saturday from now until the end of the summer vacation and that includes a boys vs girls match up.”_

_Everyone’s jaws dropped and Cana muttered, “Jeez. My father has finally lost it.” Erza had to agree. If they were facing off against the boys every week then she’ll have to play against Laxus, who was a powerhouse in the center during the first half, and against Natsu, who goes ballistic when he gets the ball, on the left wing during the second half. The girls groaned when they all came up with same conclusion. They were going to die._

_“Now, now, kids. That’s not the attitude I want to see from you all. I’m giving you boys a few more minutes to get ready. In the meantime, I’m giving Erza the ladies’ lineup and formation.”_

_He handed Erza the clipboard while her team members huddled around._

_“Ok guys, apparently we’re using the 4-3-3 formation. Everyone knows what we have to do right?” the other girls nodded and headed unto the field. Erza got a ball and started kicking it towards the center of the field, waiting for Laxus to show up. But he didn’t. Instead he moved to the right wing and called, “Not this time Titania.”_

_Erza raised and eyebrow and turned to Gildarts. “Who’s in the center for the guys?”_

_“That would be me.”_

_The first thing she noticed was his messy blue hair. Ever since she met him in the orphanage, he had the bad habit of not combing his hair for early morning practice. It had been almost two weeks since the party at the club house that she was able to see him up close._

_“Jellal? But I thought you were an attacking midfielder?”_

_“Not anymore. Gildarts wants me to alternate with Laxus in the center for now.”_

_Erza opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped when Gildarts blew his whistle to get their attention._

_“Now that everyone is up to speed, let me tell you what the aim of the game is. The aim is not to injure anyone or yourselves and while I do want you all to win, that’s not the aim either. Each of you have several technical weakness that you need to work on. By fixing these weaknesses, both teams will get even stronger. Even though you’re playing against each other, you are supposed to be helping each other out. We may be two separate teams, but we are one club. We’re Fairy Tail. If one person falls behind, we’re all to blame for that. Am I making myself clear?”_

_“Yes sir!” they all shouted in unison._

_“Good. Now get ready.”_

_“It’s a unique strategy,” commented Jellal and Erza nodded in agreement._

_“He’s basically telling us observe each other’s weak points and help each other to overcome it,” said Erza._

_“Well how about we do this. After today’s match, we meet at the club for lunch to discuss how we can both improve,” proposed Jellal._

_Erza raised an eyebrow, “Are you asking me out on a date, Fernandes?”_

_“Why not?” he responded and flashed her his half smile that made heart beat fast._

_Gildarts blew his whistle again for them to get ready._

_Erza took a deep breath. Now was not the time for her to be thinking about Jellal and their date later._

_The second whistle blew and Jellal took advantage of her hesitation to sweep the ball out from under her feet and kicked it to Laxus._

_She pushed that thought to the back of her head as she ran after the ball. She’ll have enough time afterwards to analyze this new predicament._

_After nine years of knowing Jellal and tiptoeing around each other, he had finally asked her out on a date._


	4. Chapter 4

**Present day:**

**Magnolia Town – May 20 th, X793**

Sunday came too quickly. Erza spent all Saturday in her room at the inn reviewing documents before her meeting on Monday and, by the time she decided to get up from her desk, it was already dusk.

She awoke early on Sunday morning; early enough to catch the first rays of sun at dawn which was unusual for her, but she guessed that her anxiety of being back in Magnolia was messing with her sleeping pattern. She lay in bed looking at the ceiling while listening to the bells tolling at Kardia Cathedral signaling the start of the first mass of the day which starts at 7 am. She rolled out of bed and pulled the thick curtains aside to observe her surroundings. Magnolia had not changed much since she left for Crocus five years earlier. It was the same sunny and bright city and the streets were busy with citizens rushing to attend mass or to the markets to buy their produce for the week. She looked straight head to see the massive stadium about a 15-minute walk away from the inn.

Fairy Tail F.C.

The last time she set foot in that stadium was to watch the men’s match against Lamia Scale, which they won 1 – 0. It was a close call and, in typical fashion, Gray and his elder adopted brother, Lyon Vastia, who was the captain of Lamia Scale were so busy taunting each other that they ended up brawling mid-match, causing them both to receive red cards from the referee. After that, the game became more intense, with both sides taking as many shots on target as they could but one goal from Freed managed to hit the back of the net. That lucky shot was taken during the five minutes of extra time after the second half and they all sighed with relief while the spectators roared.

The victory party afterwards was crazy since that win pushed them to the top of standings with two more matches to be played before the end of the season. And while everyone’s spirits were high with the revelry, Erza snuck out of the clubhouse, grabbed her luggage and got on the first train out of Magnolia without telling a soul. After everything that had happened, she just needed to leave and she waited until she was halfway to Crocus before she sent a mass message to all of her friends that she was gone.

The phone near her bedside rang, startling her.

“Hello?”

“Hello Good morning, Ms, Scarlet. My name is Mattan Ginger, the front desk receptionist. I’m just calling to let you know that a letter arrived for you.”

Erza frowned. “Who is the letter from?” she asked, confused, and then she mumbled to herself, “Who the hell did Laxus tell?”

“I’m sorry? Can you repeat that, Ms. Scarlet?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” she responded before ending the call and stomping into the bathroom. She explicitly told Laxus not to tell anyone she was in town and where she was staying. She didn’t know how she was going to face her friends and family. After all, she was the one who left and refused their calls. She was the one who abandoned them.

She dressed quickly in sweatpants and a Tshirt before rushing to the elevator to go down to the lobby. At the front desk was a young woman who was engrossed her phone conversation. Her hair was styled in a bob and was pink; not like the light pink that Natsu had, but a sort of fuchsia colour. When Erza arrived at the front desk, she got the woman’s attention introduced herself. Mattan Ginger smiled and handed her the letter before waving her off and continuing her phone call.

Erza waited until she was back in her room before she opened the letter. She sat on the bed and folded her legs while she examined the letter. It was simply addressed to her in the cursive font that she recognized and at the back of the stationery was the Fairy Tail team logo. She opened the envelop carefully, revealing an invitation card for dinner this evening at the club house.

And it was signed by the only person who Laxus could never keep a secret from.

* * *

When she walked into the dining hall of the club house that evening, the only person who was there waiting for her was Makarov. She was thankful, at least, that Laxus had kept his promise to not tell the others. She almost didn’t go, but when she thought about it again and again, this was probably the best decision. Since the beginning of the planning stage of the rehabilitation project for the pavilion, she had been trying to get in contact with Makarov Dreyar through her subordinates and secretary, however, they refused to respond to any of those emails. She tried to retain her anonymity, but when her boss, Lahar, emailed the management team of Fairy Tail and explained that she was lead engineer on the project and that she would be representing the department at the meeting this coming week, it was all over. It was only then Makarov agreed to cooperate, apparently under the condition that she meet with them face to face.

She took a deep breath and walked stiffly towards the seat opposite him. Makarov was a short man, but what he lacked in height, he made up for it with his presence.

“Master Makarov,” she greeted softly.

Makarov took a few seconds to stare at her before speaking. “I am glad to see that you are well Erza.”

At that moment, she started to feel the guilt that she kept bottled up inside starting to overflow. When she was fifteen, her high school took her class to a field trip to tour the Fairy Tail Stadium and during the one-hour break they had for lunch, Erza found a football that was near one of the goalposts. The senior men’s team had just completed their morning practice and had forgotten to take that ball back to the storeroom. She decided to practice her penalty shots while picturing herself in the Fairy Tail colours and a roaring stadium, until she heard someone clap. Makarov Dreyar, the manager of the Fairy Tail team and previous club player, was observing her from his office and came down to meet her.

Makarov saw her talent and wanted to help her as much as he could, so he adopted into the Dreyar family, unofficially, and supported financially throughout high school and university, while giving her a contract for to play in both U19 and U21 women’s teams. When she recalled how much this man helped her, she felt guilty for leaving them like that all over again.

“Master Makarov,” she started, “I just wanted to apologize…”

He held up his hand cutting her off. “Stop. You did what you had to do to heal. I hold no grudges against that. However, I am still angry that you never let me know what was going on with you.”

Erza nodded. “I understand.”

“Nevertheless, you have a job to do and I’m sure that you will want to get it done quickly and leave. Tomorrow you’ll be meeting with engineers from the local department.”

Makarov stopped speaking when the waitress arrived with their dinner. Erza finished her plate of risotto and when she saw that Makarov had completed his meal, she got up to leave. The silence between them was uncomfortable and she just wanted to retreat to her room.

Makarov sensed this and waved her off. But as she started to walk away, he said, “It has been a long time, but you can visit the field if you want.”

Erza turned to face him. “Thank you for letting me know,” she said and walked out of the dining hall briskly.

Makarov sighed and sank back into his chair.

“You can come out now, Laxus.”

Laxus walked out of his hiding spot in the dark corridor and sat in Erza’s unoccupied chair, signaling for the waitress to bring him a beer.

“How did you know I was there?”

Makarov raised an eyebrow, “I raised you, you idiot. I know all of your shenanigans.”

Laxus smiled and examined his beer bottle. “Not much of talker now, is she?”

Makarov leaned back and closed his eyes. “She never was much of a talker in the first place.”

It took her five years to come back home, but those years had taken a toll on her. She had lost her shine; her eyes looked dull and lifeless just as it was years ago and she was just going through the motions. Nevertheless, he was still happy to see that she survived and she made something of her life. And that was more important to him that anything else.

_I’m proud of you, Erza. Welcome home._

* * *

She had walked almost to the end of the street before her curiosity got the better of her. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t miss the stadium and it was almost 9 pm, so she decided to take up the offer to visit the stadium when she knew that no one would be there. She used the pedestrian access gate, and instead of walking to the pavilion, she turned right and walked on the concrete walkway along the furthest edge of the field. She walked a little way until she was near the changing rooms before leaving the walkway to walk on the grass towards the centerline of the field. The grass was crisp and slightly moist from the late evening due.

She stopped at the center and took a deep breath, breathing in the nighttime air as she observed her surroundings. There was the pavilion that collapsed in the last earthquake and, just like what the local engineers said, she saw the glint of danger tape running along the length of the pavilion. She saw the bleachers and the other pavilions, covered and uncovered as she spun around slowly. There was a small amount of refuse littering the field; half empty water bottles and granola bar wrappings were littered near the bleachers. Erza shook her head in annoyance. The boys on the team were just as revolting as ever, even though for years she tried to make the cave men of Fairy Tail use garbage bags and to dispose of their garbage properly.

She turned until she was facing the western goal. A sense of deja-vu came upon her when she noticed the football near the goal. Without thinking, she slipped off her ballet flats and walked towards the goal picking up the ball and moving back towards the penalty line. Praying to the heavens that she would not fall flat on her ass from the wet ground or to completely miss the ball due to lack of practice, she took a few steps back, took a deep breath and ran towards the ball, kicking it using her right instep into the top left hand corner. She smiled when the ball hit the back of her net and celebrated internally. Nothing made her happier than being back here. It was like all her problems melted away when she faced the goal.

She started to walk back to retrieve her flats from where she left them, when she noticed a hooded figure emerging from the side of the bleachers and walked towards the goal. The person was tall and kept their head and face obscured by the hood of the jacket and as they bent down to pick up the ball, their hood blew backwards revealing the back of the person’s head.

Erza’s eyes widened as she saw he familiar blue, messy locks.

“You?”

The man heard her whispered question and turned around to face her giving her a good view of his face and black facial tattoo that he had gotten a year before he started playing professional football with Crime Socière.

Jellal Fernandes’ eyes widened. “Erza?” he called and he took a hesitant step towards her but stopped as she turned and ran off the field and out the pedestrian gate.

He closed his eyes in dejection and walked off the field towards the bleachers to get his duffle bag. It was clear that Erza was back in Magnolia and she still wanted to have nothing to with him.

* * *

**_Magnolia Town – August 15 th, X785_ **

_They were now into the second month of Gildart Clive’s special training sessions. Erza would admit that there were marked improvements in her team’s performance. She, herself, lost the ten pounds she gained while studying for finals and the other girls became faster and stronger in order to keep up with the boys. But as they got stronger, the boys got even more stronger than before, making it impossible for them to win. They had already played almost eight practice matches with the men’s team and they still had the lesser ball possession and shots on target. Cana was usually flawless as the lead goal scorer on their team, but even she had a hard time getting through the impenetrable defense of Bickslow, Gajeel and Max, and Elfman Strauss, their massive goalkeeper. Playing defense was no easy feat either, when they had Natsu, Gray and Freed up front. Freed was much more strategic with his plays, but the attacking midfielders were like ballistic missiles and they gave Juvia, Lisanna and Evergreen a run for their money._

_As for her? She had her own problems. True to his word, Gildarts alternated between Laxus and Jellal at the center, and after the first half of trying to get the ball away from Laxus, who liked to use intimidation because of his large frame and brute force, she had little energy to face Jellal in the second who, just like Freed, used his head more when playing as opposed to strength. By the end of each practice session, the girls team winced and limped of the field quite annoyed, while the boys ran amok as though they won the World Cup._

_Today’s practice was one of those days. After ninety minutes of play, Gildarts sensed that everyone was exhausted, so he blew his whistle to signal the end of the match. Immediately, they all dropped to ground. Erza plopped down onto the field and started massaging her right ankle. During the first half of the practice session, Jellal tackled her for the ball but mistakenly connected with her ankle and even though he and Gildarts recommended that she sit out the rest of the match, she refused and kept playing. She had to deal with Laxus again in the second half and while trying to outrun him for the ball, her ankle gave way and she fell. Now she realized that that was the wrong decision to continue playing. She took off her right cleat and socks gently to examine the swollen ankle and the blue-black marks that adorned it._

_“Damn it!” she cursed as she prodded the area only to wince in pain._

_“How’s your ankle?” She looked up to see Jellal standing in front of her with a bottle of water and a towel. He crouched down and gently touched her ankle causing her to wince in pain._

_“Damn it, Erza! Why didn’t you just stop when Gildarts told you too?”_

_Erza didn’t bother to respond but took a drink a water while Jellal placed the towel on top of her ankle. It was cold; apparently, he soaked it with ice water to create a cold compress to reduce the swelling before she got up._

_Gildarts heard her wince in pain and walked over immediately, pushing Jellal gently aside to examine her foot himself. “You don’t listen, don’t you Titania?” he chided while turning her foot slightly. “You need to see Porlyusica before you leave.”_

_Erza shook her head. “I’m fine, Gildarts.” She tried to stand. “I’ll be fine after some rest……” and she dropped back onto the grass in pain._

_Gildarts rolled his eyes. “Get that checked out now!” he commanded. He looked around. “Let’s see… Fernandes, take her the medic now.”_

_Jellal nodded and went to help Erza to stand. She knew better than to argue with Gildarts, so she allowed Jellal to drape her onto his back and carry her to the medic station, blushing at the contact._

* * *

_“This is ridiculous, Jellal. You don’t have to carry me around like this. We’re not children anymore.”_

_Erza was still blushing as Jellal continued to give her a piggyback ride to the car park. Porlyusica, had bandaged Erza’s ankle and given her medication for the swelling and pain before kicking them out of her office, grumbling on about how they were bothering her when she was already packed up to leave. Unfortunately, she was given a medical note stating that she was out of commission for two-weeks in the first instance with a Grade 1 sprain. Luckily, she didn’t have a tear, but she had to stay off her feet for the next two weeks and return to be reexamined to ensure that she was healed before getting clearance to resume training. That meant that for the last two weeks of the summer vacation she couldn’t train at all. This wasn’t good for the red head since it was during these two weeks, she was the busiest since the new academic year was about to begin._

_And now, Jellal Fernandes was carrying her home._

_Since their agreement at the first training session, they met up at the clubhouse for lunch for training recap and, for the most part, Jellal, was a good conversationalist in his quiet way. The soft-spoken man enjoyed chatting with Erza about her university experience, since he forfeited his tertiary education to play professionally, and about their adolescence at the Tower of Heaven._

_But that was it. The last time they had any sort of physical contact was that first night in June and since then, he never made any attempt to repeat that, much to Erza’s disgruntlement. It was these mixed signals that sent Erza’s brain into overdrive, overthinking whether her crush was one-sided or not and these were thoughts that plagued her since her first encounter with him at the age of fourteen. And now, here he was, voluntarily toting her around on his back from the field to the infirmary and now to the car park. The blush on her face deepened until her cheeks were the same shade of red as her hair as his hands tightened around her thighs that were clinging to his waist. He didn’t get a chance to change after practice. He removed his official practice jersey and was still wearing the thin undershirt that was soaked with sweat and clung to his body. Usually, Erza would have been completely grossed out by that but her mind was preoccupied by the way his lithe but muscular back and biceps imprinted through the shirt and how his back muscles rippled against her body, as he flexed slightly to readjust his grip while walking._

_In normal circumstances, she would have welcomed the extra physical contact and attention he was giving her; God knows her heart was appreciating it, but she still flushed in embarrassment at him carrying her around like a four-year-old child._

_“Jellal, you can put me down now.”_

_“We’re almost to my car, Erza,” he responded calmly._

_Erza huffed in annoyance. “I can walk on my own, you know.”_

_Jellal ignored her and walked towards the cars parked in the VIP section of the car park, which was reserved for the players. He fished his keys out of his right pocket and when he pressed the button disarm the alarm system, the headlights of the black Mercedes that was parked two spots away from Laxus’s Maserati flashed in response. He approached the car and gently helped her off his back, guiding her left arm over his shoulder so she could shift her weight off her injured foot. He half smiled at her questionable look as she furrowed her eyebrows at his car. When he left the orphanage three years ago, he hardly had enough pocket change to buy his meals for a week. Now he was back with a Mercedes. It was quite the upgrade._

_“It’s quite an upgrade isn’t it?” he asked as if he could read her mind. “After we won the Premiership in my first year, I used the bonus money to purchase it. It’s not as flashy as Laxus’ Maserati or Gray’s Aston Martin, but it does the job.”_

_“I’m sure it does,” Erza laughed as he guided her towards the passenger seat. While she was being tended to by the medic, he had gathered her belongings and now her duffle bag was in the back seat._

_“Thank you for getting my things,” she said as he sat on the driver’s side and pulled his seatbelt on._

_“It wasn’t a problem,” he responded and started the engine before turning to see her fumbling with the seatbelt. He unclasped his and leaned over her to help her. His face was so close to hers that his hair brushed against her forehead and nose causing her face to become flushed again. She froze until he fixed the clasp and muttered a thank you when he returned to his seat._

_The Fairy Hills apartment complex, where she and the other female players lived, was only a five-minute drive away from the stadium, so the car ride was shorter than what she would have liked. He knew where she lived and was accustomed to dropping her home but, unlikely the last few weeks where he parked on the road way and just walked her to the main entrance, he pulled into an empty parking spot near the porte cochere at front._

_In just a few seconds, he slipped out of the car, grabbing Erza’s duffle bag and was already opening the door for her. She allowed him to guide her out of the car towards the main entrance, before stopping him._

_“I can take it from here Jellal.”_

_He shook his head. “And how do you expect to reach the elevator yourself then, Erza? Crawl?”_

_She rolled her eyes at him to seem indifferent, but she was far from that. This was the first time she would allow him to enter her apartment. She was accustomed to sharing her living space on occasion. Natsu, Gray and Lucy, her friend from university who was a journalism major, always found themselves here but with Jellal it was different._

_The elevator ride to the fifth floor was slower than usual and the silence between them was deafening. When she heard the ping that they arrived and the doors slid open, she turned to Jellal, “This wasn’t necessary you know.”_

_“It’s fine, Erza,” he said exasperatedly. “It’s almost as though you don’t want me to see your apartment.”_

_It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to see her apartment, she thought, it’s because they’ll be in an enclosed space and Erza hoped and prayed that her control on her hormones didn’t slip._

_She unlocked the door and she immediately limped to her couch. He dropped her bag onto the floor near her door and took a seat on her armchair facing her._

_He chuckled as she stifled a yawn. “You look exhausted.”_

_Erza nodded sleepily, “I am. But I need to take a bath.”_

_“Do you need any assistance?”_

_“Wha-at?” Erza stammered, her mind already drifting to the scene in one of her romance novels of the main characters, intimately embracing each other in a steaming shower. Except these characters had blue and red hair._

_Jellal gave her a half smile, clearly amused at her reaction. “Don’t worry Erza. I’m sure you wouldn’t need my help for that.”_

_Erza took a deep breath and cleared her throat before responding. “I can make it to the bathroom on my own. If I need any help, I’ll call one of the girls.” Her heart and brain were still in overdrive and even though she was half relieved that he was getting ready to leave, the other half wished that he could stay to make that scene a reality._

_Jellal walked towards her and kneel in front of her with that same half-smile on his face. He reached forward to tug on her bangs. “You got me scared when you fell earlier. I thought your foot was broken,” he said softly._

_Erza relaxed at his touch. “I’ll heal soon.”_

_He leaned closer to her until his nose was almost touching hers. His hands leaving her hair to trace down the side of cheek._

_“You still like to make me worry about you. Ever since we were children.”_

_Erza blinked at him completely entranced. Surely, he wasn’t going to kiss her? she thought as her pulse sped up in anticipation._

_“It wasn’t intentional, you know.”_

_“I know. You always got into trouble. And I always wanted to save you.”_

_Erza licked her lips and her eyes fluttered shut as he closed the distance, sealing her lips with his._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for the next chapter. I am really busy with work and finishing my thesis for my masters degree, hence the slow updates. But that's ok! Because this is going to by a slow burn fic. Leave a comment down below and let me know what you guys think :)


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